First year, final battle
by WriteInfinity
Summary: A first year's experience with Snape as headmaster. Final battle included. Enjoy :-) Rated T just in case. Constructive comments would be very helpful as this is my first fan fiction. The sorting hat song was not written by me but i will change it when i get the chance.
1. Prologue

**_Prologue_**

_I sit cowering in a dark corner. I should feel safe but I can still hear fighting. The battle isn't won yet. Sneaking back into Hogwarts was a bad idea- possibly one of my worst but there is no point regretting it now._

_I should start by describing myself- I am a small first year with knee length black hair and grey-blue eyes. I am in Ravenclaw but I am not particularly smart as you can probably tell. I am a pureblood so I could already do some magic before I came to Hogwarts. I knew too much for a first year anyway, I was moved up a year within a few weeks even though professor Carrow strongly advised me to stay._

_I don't know how I got into this mess or why I snuck back into the castle. Maybe I thought that I could fight but thinking about fighting seems stupid- even to me._

_I can hear someone in the corridor near me but it is too late to find a better hiding place. If they see me, it doesn't matter, I am only a first year. Hopefully they wont attack me._

_Nobody seems to be here though so I might go and have a quick peek around the corner…_


	2. The Letter

_**The Letter**_

I got my Hogwarts letter on 2nd August. An owl came through my bedroom window and deposited the letter on my bed. I didn't tell my mother- she already knew I would get into Hogwarts and it wouldn't bother her when I got the letter.

I hid the letter under my bed and hoped that mother wouldn't speak to Auntie Narcissa today. She has a son named Draco already at Hogwarts so he would have got his letter today even though he might not be going back. Auntie Narcissa would ask if I had got my letter today.

"I'm going to visit Auntie Narcissa." Mother yelled up the stairs, "Don't do anything stupid!" She always says this to me even though I hardly ever do anything. She doesn't trust me, which hurts a bit considering that I am her daughter. Come to think of it, she doesn't trust anyone except for Auntie Narcissa or maybe Draco.

Mother slams the door on the way out, leaving me alone. I don't have any friends because mother doesn't want anyone to know I exist. I am too powerful for my own good according to mother. I am a metamorphmagus like my cousin Nymphadora who I've never met. Apparently, she would be a bad influence on me. Her mother married a mudblood. This doesn't bother me but mother really hates mudbloods- especially Hermione Granger. I don't know what the big deal is with blood status is at the moment but mother tells me to be proud to be a pureblood and to treat mudbloods like the scum that they are. I can tell why she was in Slytherin. I want to be a Hufflepuff but I will never tell mother- she would probably disown me.

I decide to take a look at the letter:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Severus Snape

Dear Miss. Lestrange,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Please be reminded that blood status will be checked on arrival.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of _WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells__ (Grade 1)_

by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_

_by __Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory_

_by __Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_

_by __Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

_by __Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions_

_by __Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

_by __Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: Basics_

_by __Quentin Trimble_

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

I read it through it briefly before stashing the letter in my matteress using a simple severing spell to cut a hole in the mattress. I keep my wand woth me.

Soon I hear the door open and I glance through my window to check who it is. Mother is back but she has Narcissa and Draco with her. I have a bad feeling about this. There is a knock at my bedroom door and I jump, drawing my wand out at the same time. I only know a few basic hexes and jinxes but they sometimes come in useful. The door opens and I see Draco standing there looking tired. He tells me that mother is waiting for me so I should go downstairs. I must look scared because Draco reassures me that mother isn't angry just curious about why I didn't show her the letter.

Draco was telling the truth. Mother didn't ask me anything, she just says that tomorrow we are going shopping to Diagon Alley to get my school stuff. Draco and Auntie Narcissa are coming with us. I am dreading going- I will have to change my appearance. It's not hard but I hate going out in public looking like an idiot. It wont matter when I go to school though because mother wont be there so no-one will recognize me. I don't look like mother except for my hair colour.

I should get some sleep before tomo…r….r….o…..


	3. Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley

I wake early the next morning and jump out of bed. Yawning, I pull on some casual robes and tuck my wand into an inside pocket. Before I head downstairs, I remember to take my letter out of its hiding place and shove it into another pocket.

I am running down the stairs when I remember that I haven't got any shoes on so I get out my wand and do a summoning charm. My battered old converse hit me in the back of my head, accompanied by a pair of socks. I sit down on the stairs and pull them on. I am doing the laces up when I hear footsteps on the stairs and I know it is mother without turning around- she is the only other person in the house.

"You nearly ready?"

"Almost, I just need to brush my hair."

"Remember, we are stopping at Auntie Narcissa's house before we get to Diagon Alley. We can apparate there first and use the Floo network from there."

I had forgotten that Draco was coming with us. He doesn't bother me but he treats me like a baby when he isn't ignoring me.

I brush my hair and then I go and find mother so that we can leave. I hand her my letter so that she can get my books while I go and choose a pet with Draco. I grab mother's arm and we apparate to Auntie Narcissa's front gate where Draco and Auntie Narcissa are waiting. I can see one of their peacocks strutting across the lawn. I don't like peacocks but Auntie Narcissa must because there are loads of them around their house. Before we leave, mother remembers to tell me to change my appearance to look like father. This is hard because I hardly ever see him- he cant stand the sight of me. He isn't my real father but mother pretends that he is because he is her husband.

When we get to Diagon Alley, I wait until I am alone with Draco before I change my appearance again- back to myself. There is hardly anyone out on the street and half the shops are boarded up. There are wanted posters on some of the windows. I see a brightly coloured sign pointing up the street and I follow it with my eyes. At the other end of the street is the brightest shop I have ever seen. I drag Draco towards it until we get close enough to read the sign:

Weasley' Wizard Wheezes

Draco stops and tries to drag me the other way but I am to quick for him:

"Wingardium leviosa!" Draco flies into the air. I cant resist trying another spell:

"Aguamenti!" A jet of water hit Draco squarely in the face. I run into the shop and collapse against the wall, uncontrollable giggles spilling from my lips.

It is a few minutes before I have subdued the laughter enough to look around the shop. It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen and there is no one here to stop me buying everything I want. I have 20 galleons with me that I am meant to be using to buy a pet but I would rather spend it here, in this glorious shop.

I see the door open and Draco walks in. He has already dried his hair but he looks angry and I know that this anger is directed at me. I am suddenly scared and I make a dash across the shop towards a door that looks like it leads to a storeroom. I open the door and see piles of boxes everywhere with labels like 'exploding wands' and 'skiving snackboxes'. I barely have time to catch my breath when the storeroom door opens and a red haired wizard walks in. I realize that this must be one of the Weasley twins that mother hates so much. She hates the Weasleys almost as much as she hates mudbloods. I crouch behind a pile of boxes but the Weasley person must have seen me because he calls to another person,

"Fred, there's someone in here!" Another voice replies "I'll be there in a minute George, I just need to sort out a customer." The twin who I now know is called George moves the boxes in front of me and pulls me out. He asks me what I was doing and I say that I was hiding. He asks who I was hiding form but before I could answer him, Fred walks in and says to George, "Malfoy just walked in. I told him to get out but he said that he was looking for someone." George turns to look at me. "Are you hiding from him?" I nod. He turns to Fred and says, " She cant stay here but I feel sorry for her if Malfoy is looking for her." Fred turns to me and asks what I did to Draco. I tell him about what happened outside the shop. After they stop laughing, they tell me that it is probably best if I just go out and face Draco. I leave the storeroom and almost immediately bump into Draco, who looks livid. He drags me out of the shop.

Draco drags me to Magical Menagerie where I choose a beautiful black cat with blue eyes. It is only a kitten and it mews mournfully when I carry it out of the shop. I decide to name her Solstice. I refuse to let Draco drag me up the street again to Twilfitt and Tatting's. I walk slowly to annoy him until I see mother coming out of Potage's Cauldron Shop. I quickly change my appearance again before she notices.

We meet mother and Auntie Narcissa who says that her and Draco need to go home. We say goodbye and then mother and I continue up to Twilfitt and Tatting's to get my robes. As soon as we have finished, we apparate straight home.

I eat dinner then I head up to my room. I take off my shoes and lie down. i am asleep within seconds.


	4. Off to Hogwarts

Off to Hogwarts

On the morning that I leave, I wake up around six o'clock. I spend a couple of hours reading my schoolbooks but I know most of the spells already. Mother calls me for breakfast so I reach for my robe until I realise that I will need to wear muggle clothes until I get on the train. It takes me a while to find my one pair of jeans and a t-shirt in my wardrobe and by that time, mother is cross and worried that I will be late.

I grab my wand and head downstairs to have breakfast. After bolting down breakfast, I go upstairs to get my trunk and we head off to King's Cross station.

On the way, mother tells me the plan: she will go in first and I will wait for five minutes and then go in. I will take my trunk and meet mother on platform 9¾ . I wont say goodbye and mother will pretend that she is there to check blood status- only Draco will know that she is my mother.

Inside the station is chaos. It is all I can do to avoid steering the luggage trolley with my trunk and Solstice on top into anyone. I get lost on the way to the platform but I see someone carrying an owl and I follow them until I find the barrier. It only takes me a minute to run through the barrier and I soon get my first glimpse of the Hogwarts Express. It is gigantic and steam billows out of it as pupils cram into every door. I see mother and she gestures towards the train o I get on. As soon as I get on, the train begins to move.

I realize that I don't have anywhere to sit. An older girl comes over to me and invites me into the compartment where she is sitting. There are two other people in the carriage- a girl with red hair and a boy wearing a knitted cardigan. The girl who invited me in introduces herself as Luna and then goes on to introduce the other girl- Ginny- and the boy- Neville. Neville asks me my name but I see Draco striding purposely towards our compartment so I find this a good time to turn into a girl I saw on the platform. The others stare at me until Draco throws the door open.

"Get out." Luna sighed, "Just leave us alone"

"Do you want my father to hear about this?" Draco threatened, "I'm just looking for a first year with a black cat. I need to talk to her." He continued, "If you see her bring her to me" he snarled as he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

"That's just Malfoy, he's an idiot." Neville said. "I know, we've met", I went on, "He was looking for me".

"Why?" Ginny asked. Just at that moment, a woman came past with a trolley loaded with sweets and snacks. She stopped at our compartment and asks if we want anything. I buy some chocolate frogs and some fizzing whizzbees. I share the fizzing whizzbees with the others but I keep all of the chocolate frogs- they are my favorites.

After eating, I fall asleep. I only wake up when Luna shakes me awake. She tells me that we are nearly at Hogwarts and that I need to get my robes on. I climb onto the seat to get them out of my trunk when I realize that it is locked. I use the alohomora charm to unlock my trunk and pull out my neatly folded robes.

When my robes are on, I glance out of the window and I see that we are pulling into a station…


	5. The Sorting Hat

The Sorting Hat

When I get off the train, I see a gigantic figure standing on the platform, calling to all first years to follow him. I walk in his direction and spot others doing the same. When all the first years have congregated on the platform, the gigantic figure tells us to follow him. He leads us to the edge of a lake where some little boats are moored. We are obviously meant to get into them so I clamber into the first one I come to, followed by a tall, brown-haired girl and the giant. He introduces himself as Rubeus Hagrid before signaling to the boats to move forward.

We make it across the lake very quickly and get out of the boats on the other side. Hagrid leads us up a path towards the castle and when we get there, Amicus Carrow opens the door. I already knew that he would be teaching at the school.

We walk into the castle and come to an enormous set of doors which are flung open by Carrow. The room we walk into has five long tables-four with students and one with teachers. We are led to the front of the room where a stool has been placed. Another teacher places a hat on he stool and everyone in the room turns to look expectantly at the hat. The hat begin to sing:

Again, we're gathered here beneath  
This great, enchanted ceiling  
There's thunder, lightning, heavy rain  
That none of us are feeling

My task this year, as years before, Is choosing your rightful place  
To help you conquer and endure  
The tasks you are soon to face

The Hogwarts founders, long ago, Trusted me with this task Though now I think it may've been  
Somewhat unwise to ask

I fear this may be the last time  
I can so frankly speak  
For there are those among us all  
That hope for our defeat

And so, before I sort you,  
My other task is clear  
To say the words that Dumbledore  
And I feel you must hear

Ravenclaw have shown us  
Any problem can be solved  
While Slytherin has long defined  
The advantage of resolve

Gryffindors know well that fear's  
Nothing to be afraid of  
And Hufflepuffs know just as well  
What true kindness is made of

A thousand years these houses stand  
On these few strengths alone  
But great minds and hats think alike  
Weakness is what we've shown

The unity of our four houses  
Hangs by just a tether  
True greatness, power and victory

We only achieve together

There is a round of applause when the hat finishes and then a witch stands up, holding a piece of parchment. She reads off he parchment and I realize that it is a list: "Jennifer Addams"

A girl walks over to the stool and puts on the hat. The hat yells,"HUFFLEPUFF" and there is cheering from one of the end tables. The girl walks over to sit with them. This happens for a couple of minutes and then my name is called. "Seraphina Lestrange." The reaction of the students is quite surprising- some glare at me and one boy in Ravenclaw stands up and hisses at me. I walk over to the stool, trembling and put the hat on. It falls over my eyes and blocks out the rest of the hall. I hear a voice in my ear, "You're a difficult one. You have a sharp mind but you seem cunning. Your mother was a Slytherin but the question is whether you want to follow in her footsteps or make your own path. You could do great things in Slytherin you know." I think: "not Slytherin!" The hat thinks for a moment and yells "RAVENCLAW"

There is a collective gasp and a groan from the Ravenclaw table as I walk over to them. Everyone gives me a wide birth as I sit down, except for a first year, that I suspect is muggleborn. She smiles at me and moves over towards me as the next name is called.

I am in a daze for the next few minutes until Severus Snape stands up. He begins to speak: "Before we eat I will impress a few rules upon you dunderheads and first years who don't already know them; No going out of the castle after 6:00pm, no going into the forbidden forest and no disrespecting our new teachers. That is all. Now eat, you numbskulls!"

The empty plates and goblets have been filled and everyone starts eating immediately. I take a goblet of pumpkin juice and fill my plate with food. Everything tastes amazing and I am about to get more when the food disappears and plates full of dessert appear. I try to eat as much as possible but I am full. It is funny watching everyone eat with so much gusto. Within a few minutes, the food is gone and an older pupil stands up to lead the first formers to our common room. I follow obediently and try to remember the way even though it is impossible. We stop beside a portrait and the prefect explains that we need a password to get through. "The password is _equilibrium_. Don't tell anyone from other houses and don't forget it!" We walk into a huge room filled with chairs, tables, and a massive fireplace. There are two staircases that lead to the dormitories and this is where we are sent. The dormitory that I am going to stay in has five four-poster beds with blue curtains and a chest of drawers by each bed. I see my trunk by one of the beds and sit down to start looking for my pyjamas. Another girl walks in, it is the girl I sat next to at the feast. Three more girls walk in after her and glare at me. Having found my pyjamas, I get changes and climb into bed. I pretend to be asleep but I just want to hear what they say.

"Why did we end up stuck with her?"

"I know, mother wont be pleased. Anyway how did she end up in Ravenclaw?"

"Who cares?"

I have heard enough. It takes me a while to fall asleep but I do anyway.


End file.
